Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Navigating Through a Hierarchy

ABSTRACT

A multifunction device displays a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. In response to detecting a first input, the device displays a view of at least one of the lower levels and at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. While displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, the device detects a second input. When the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level, the device enters the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceases to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This relates generally to electronic devices with displays, including but not limited to electronic devices with input devices that are used to navigate through a hierarchical user interface.

BACKGROUND

The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touch pads and touch screen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to manipulate user interfaces.

Exemplary hierarchical user interfaces include user interfaces representing: a file hierarchy in a file management program (e.g., Finder from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), an event or timeline hierarchy in an image management application (e.g., Aperture or iPhoto from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a metadata hierarchy (e.g., genres, artists, albums and songs for music) in digital content management application (e.g., iTunes from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), a device settings hierarchy in an operating system (e.g., Mac OS X or iOS from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.), etc.

But existing methods for navigating through hierarchical user interfaces are cumbersome and inefficient. For example, using a sequence of mouse-based inputs to display a view of a lower level of a hierarchy and ceasing to display a view of the top level of the hierarchy as soon as the view of the lower level of the hierarchy is displayed or continuing to display the view of the top level of the hierarchy while the view of the lower level of the hierarchy is in a content modification mode creates a significant cognitive burden on a user and increases the likelihood of unintentional inputs. In addition, existing methods of navigating through hierarchical user interfaces take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, there is a need for computing devices with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for navigating through a hierarchical user interface. Such methods and interfaces may complement or replace conventional methods for navigating through a hierarchy. Such methods and interfaces reduce the cognitive burden on a user and produce a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated computing devices, such methods and interfaces conserve power and increase the time between battery charges.

The above deficiencies and other problems associated with user interfaces for computing devices with touch-sensitive surfaces are reduced or eliminated by the disclosed devices. In some embodiments, the device is a desktop computer. In some embodiments, the device is portable (e.g., a notebook computer, tablet computer, or handheld device). In some embodiments, the device has a touchpad. In some embodiments, the device has a touch-sensitive display (also known as a “touch screen” or “touch screen display”). In some embodiments, the device has a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the GUI primarily through finger contacts and gestures on the touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, the functions may include image editing, drawing, presenting, word processing, website creating, disk authoring, spreadsheet making, game playing, telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, workout support, digital photographing, digital videoing, web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Executable instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.

In accordance with some embodiments, a multifunction device includes a display, one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs. The one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The one or more programs include instructions for: displaying a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. The one or more programs further include instructions for detecting a first input, and in response to detecting the first input, displaying a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. The one or more programs also include instructions for, while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detecting a second input; and when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: entering the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.

In accordance with some embodiments, a method is performed at a multifunction device with a display. The method includes: displaying a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. The method further includes detecting a first input, and in response to detecting the first input, displaying a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. The method also includes, while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detecting a second input; and when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: entering the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.

In accordance with some embodiments, a computer readable storage medium has stored therein instructions which when executed by a multifunction device with a display, cause the device to: display a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. The instructions further cause the device to detect a first input, and in response to detecting the first input, display a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. The instructions also cause the device to, while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detect a second input; and when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: enter the content modification mode for the respective lower level and cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.

In accordance with some embodiments, a graphical user interface on a multifunction device with a display, a memory, and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory includes a hierarchical user interface having a plurality of levels including a top level and one or more lower levels. A view of a top level of the hierarchical user interface is displayed. A first input is detected. In response to detecting the first input, a view of at least one of the lower levels is displayed while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. While displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, a second input is detected. When the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: the content modification mode is entered for the respective lower level and the predefined portion of the view of the top level ceases to be displayed.

In accordance with some embodiments, a multifunction device includes: a display; and means for displaying a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. The device further includes means for detecting a first input, and means, responsive to detecting the first input, for displaying a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. The device also includes means for, while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detecting a second input; and means for, when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: entering the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.

In accordance with some embodiments, an information processing apparatus for use in a multifunction device with a display includes means for displaying a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. The information processing apparatus further includes means for detecting a first input, and means, responsive to detecting the first input, for displaying a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level. The information processing apparatus also includes means for, while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detecting a second input; and means for, when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: entering the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.

Thus, multifunction devices with displays are provided with faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for navigating through a hierarchical user interface, thereby increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with such devices. Such methods and interfaces may complement or replace conventional methods for navigating through a hierarchy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention as well as additional embodiments thereof, reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating portable multifunction devices with touch-sensitive displays in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portable multifunction device having a touch screen in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary user interfaces for a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary user interface for a multifunction device with a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 5A-5K illustrate exemplary user interfaces for navigating through a hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate simulated “side-views” of the exemplary user interfaces shown in FIGS. 5A, 5C, 5I and 5K, respectively in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 7A-7E are flow diagrams illustrating a method of navigating through a hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Many electronic devices have hierarchical user interfaces, such as interfaces for settings menus and file systems. A user typically navigates through a hierarchical user interface by starting at a top level and progressing through intermediate levels until the user reaches a desired lower level of the hierarchy. In some cases, the user will want to perform an operation while at the lower level (e.g., changing a setting, copying a file, or otherwise modifying content of the device). Frequently, a user will want to return to the top level after reaching the desired lower level and, optionally, performing an operation. However, while the user is performing the operation at the lower level, the user is typically not interested in returning to the top level of the hierarchical user interface. In fact, accidentally returning to the top level of the hierarchical user interface during the operation would typically be disruptive to the user, and result in less efficient operation of the device. Thus, to reduce the cognitive burden on a user and to create a faster, more efficient human-machine interface, it is advantageous to have a user interface that concurrently provides context for the user during navigation of the hierarchical user interface, provides a shortcut to return to the top level of the hierarchy, and hides the shortcut when the user is modifying content at some lower level in the hierarchy (to prevent accidental activation of the shortcut when the user is modifying content). In some of the embodiments described below, such an improved hierarchical user interface is achieved by displaying a portion of the top level view of a hierarchy while the user is navigating through lower levels in the hierarchy. Detecting a finger gesture on the portion of the top level view acts as a shortcut that immediately returns the user interface to the top level of the hierarchy. However, when the user interface is in a content modification mode, the short cut is disabled (e.g., by displaying a simulated parallax animation that ceases display of the portion of the top level), thereby preventing a user from accidentally activating the shortcut.

Below, FIGS. 1A-1C, 2, and 3 provide a description of exemplary devices. FIGS. 4A-4C, 5A-5K, and 6A-6D illustrate exemplary user interfaces for navigating through a hierarchy. FIGS. 7A-7E are flow diagrams illustrating a method of navigating through a hierarchy. The user interfaces in FIGS. 5A-5K and 6A-6D are used to illustrate the processes in FIGS. 7A-7E.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.

It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact.

The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.

As used herein, the term “resolution” of a display refers to the number of pixels (also called “pixel counts” or “pixel resolution”) along each axis or in each dimension of the display. For example, a display may have a resolution of 320×480 pixels. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “resolution” of a multifunction device refers to the resolution of a display in the multifunction device. The term “resolution” does not imply any limitations on the size of each pixel or the spacing of pixels. For example, compared to a first display with a 1024×768-pixel resolution, a second display with a 320×480-pixel resolution has a lower resolution. However, it should be noted that the physical size of a display depends not only on the pixel resolution, but also on many other factors, including the pixel size and the spacing of pixels. Therefore, the first display may have the same, smaller, or larger physical size, compared to the second display.

As used herein, the term “video resolution” of a display refers to the density of pixels along each axis or in each dimension of the display. The video resolution is often measured in a dots-per-inch (DPI) unit, which counts the number of pixels that can be placed in a line within the span of one inch along a respective dimension of the display.

Embodiments of computing devices, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the computing device is a portable communications device, such as a mobile telephone, that also contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions. Exemplary embodiments of portable multifunction devices include, without limitation, the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® devices from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Other portable devices, such as laptops or tablet computers with touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g., touch screen displays and/or touch pads), may also be used. It should also be understood that, in some embodiments, the device is not a portable communications device, but is a desktop computer with a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch screen display and/or a touch pad).

In the discussion that follows, a computing device that includes a display and a touch-sensitive surface is described. It should be understood, however, that the computing device may include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick.

The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a drawing application, a presentation application, a word processing application, a website creation application, a disk authoring application, a spreadsheet application, a gaming application, a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a workout support application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.

The various applications that may be executed on the device may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface as well as corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted and/or varied from one application to the next and/or within a respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture (such as the touch-sensitive surface) of the device may support the variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent to the user.

The user interfaces may include one or more soft keyboard embodiments. The soft keyboard embodiments may include standard (QWERTY) and/or non-standard configurations of symbols on the displayed icons of the keyboard, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/459,606, “Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, and 11/459,615, “Touch Screen Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. The keyboard embodiments may include a reduced number of icons (or soft keys) relative to the number of keys in existing physical keyboards, such as that for a typewriter. This may make it easier for users to select one or more icons in the keyboard, and thus, one or more corresponding symbols. The keyboard embodiments may be adaptive. For example, displayed icons may be modified in accordance with user actions, such as selecting one or more icons and/or one or more corresponding symbols. One or more applications on the device may utilize common and/or different keyboard embodiments. Thus, the keyboard embodiment used may be tailored to at least some of the applications. In some embodiments, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user. For example, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user based on a word usage history (lexicography, slang, individual usage) of the respective user. Some of the keyboard embodiments may be adjusted to reduce a probability of a user error when selecting one or more icons, and thus one or more symbols, when using the soft keyboard embodiments.

Attention is now directed toward embodiments of portable devices with touch-sensitive displays. FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating portable multifunction devices 100 with touch-sensitive displays 112 in accordance with some embodiments. Touch-sensitive display 112 is sometimes called a “touch screen” for convenience, and may also be known as or called a touch-sensitive display system. Device 100 may include memory 102 (which may include one or more computer readable storage mediums), memory controller 122, one or more processing units (CPU's) 120, peripherals interface 118, RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, input/output (I/O) subsystem 106, other input or control devices 116, and external port 124. Device 100 may include one or more optical sensors 164. These components may communicate over one or more communication buses or signal lines 103.

It should be appreciated that device 100 is only one example of a portable multifunction device, and that device 100 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. The various components shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits.

Memory 102 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory 102 by other components of device 100, such as CPU 120 and the peripherals interface 118, may be controlled by memory controller 122.

Peripherals interface 118 can be used to couple input and output peripherals of the device to CPU 120 and memory 102. The one or more processors 120 run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in memory 102 to perform various functions for device 100 and to process data.

In some embodiments, peripherals interface 118, CPU 120, and memory controller 122 may be implemented on a single chip, such as chip 104. In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.

RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry 108 converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry 108 may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. RF circuitry 108 may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for e-mail (e.g., Internet message access protocol (IMAP) and/or post office protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document.

Audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, and microphone 113 provide an audio interface between a user and device 100. Audio circuitry 110 receives audio data from peripherals interface 118, converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to speaker 111. Speaker 111 converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. Audio circuitry 110 also receives electrical signals converted by microphone 113 from sound waves. Audio circuitry 110 converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to peripherals interface 118 for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory 102 and/or RF circuitry 108 by peripherals interface 118. In some embodiments, audio circuitry 110 also includes a headset jack (e.g., 212, FIG. 2). The headset jack provides an interface between audio circuitry 110 and removable audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears) and input (e.g., a microphone).

I/O subsystem 106 couples input/output peripherals on device 100, such as touch screen 112 and other input control devices 116, to peripherals interface 118. I/O subsystem 106 may include display controller 156 and one or more input controllers 160 for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers 160 receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices 116. The other input control devices 116 may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s) 160 may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g., 208, FIG. 2) may include an up/down button for volume control of speaker 111 and/or microphone 113. The one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g., 206, FIG. 2). A quick press of the push button may disengage a lock of touch screen 112 or begin a process that uses gestures on the touch screen to unlock the device, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,549, “Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A longer press of the push button (e.g., 206) may turn power to device 100 on or off. The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. Touch screen 112 is used to implement virtual or soft buttons and one or more soft keyboards.

Touch-sensitive display 112 provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and a user. Display controller 156 receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to touch screen 112. Touch screen 112 displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects.

Touch screen 112 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. Touch screen 112 and display controller 156 (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory 102) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on touch screen 112 and converts the detected contact into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on touch screen 112. In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact between touch screen 112 and the user corresponds to a finger of the user.

Touch screen 112 may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED (light emitting diode) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. Touch screen 112 and display controller 156 may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with touch screen 112. In an exemplary embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as that found in the iPhone®, iPod Touch®, and iPad® from Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.

A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of touch screen 112 may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive touchpads described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. However, touch screen 112 displays visual output from portable device 100, whereas touch sensitive touchpads do not provide visual output.

A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of touch screen 112 may be as described in the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/381,313, “Multipoint Touch Surface Controller,” filed May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862, “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed May 6, 2004; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/048,264, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 31, 2005; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 18, 2005; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, “Virtual Input Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, “Operation Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,737, “Activating Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; and (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Touch screen 112 may have a video resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with touch screen 112 using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which can be less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user.

In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, device 100 may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from touch screen 112 or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen.

In some embodiments, device 100 may include a physical or virtual wheel (e.g., a click wheel) as input control device 116. A user may navigate among and interact with one or more graphical objects (e.g., icons) displayed in touch screen 112 by rotating the click wheel or by moving a point of contact with the click wheel (e.g., where the amount of movement of the point of contact is measured by its angular displacement with respect to a center point of the click wheel). The click wheel may also be used to select one or more of the displayed icons. For example, the user may press down on at least a portion of the click wheel or an associated button. User commands and navigation commands provided by the user via the click wheel may be processed by input controller 160 as well as one or more of the modules and/or sets of instructions in memory 102. For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel and click wheel controller may be part of touch screen 112 and display controller 156, respectively. For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel may be either an opaque or semitransparent object that appears and disappears on the touch screen display in response to user interaction with the device. In some embodiments, a virtual click wheel is displayed on the touch screen of a portable multifunction device and operated by user contact with the touch screen.

Device 100 also includes power system 162 for powering the various components. Power system 162 may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices.

Device 100 may also include one or more optical sensors 164. FIGS. 1A and 1B show an optical sensor coupled to optical sensor controller 158 in I/O subsystem 106. Optical sensor 164 may include charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. Optical sensor 164 receives light from the environment, projected through one or more lens, and converts the light to data representing an image. In conjunction with imaging module 143 (also called a camera module), optical sensor 164 may capture still images or video. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the back of device 100, opposite touch screen display 112 on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display may be used as a viewfinder for still and/or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the front of the device so that the user's image may be obtained for videoconferencing while the user views the other video conference participants on the touch screen display. In some embodiments, the position of optical sensor 164 can be changed by the user (e.g., by rotating the lens and the sensor in the device housing) so that a single optical sensor 164 may be used along with the touch screen display for both video conferencing and still and/or video image acquisition.

Device 100 may also include one or more proximity sensors 166. FIGS. 1A and 1B show proximity sensor 166 coupled to peripherals interface 118. Alternately, proximity sensor 166 may be coupled to input controller 160 in I/O subsystem 106. Proximity sensor 166 may perform as described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/241,839, “Proximity Detector In Handheld Device”; 11/240,788, “Proximity Detector In Handheld Device”; 11/620,702, “Using Ambient Light Sensor To Augment Proximity Sensor Output”; 11/586,862, “Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices”; and 11/638,251, “Methods And Systems For Automatic Configuration Of Peripherals,” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables touch screen 112 when the multifunction device is placed near the user's ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call).

Device 100 may also include one or more accelerometers 168. FIGS. 1A and 1B show accelerometer 168 coupled to peripherals interface 118. Alternately, accelerometer 168 may be coupled to an input controller 160 in I/O subsystem 106. Accelerometer 168 may perform as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050190059, “Acceleration-based Theft Detection System for Portable Electronic Devices,” and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20060017692, “Methods And Apparatuses For Operating A Portable Device Based On An Accelerometer,” both of which are which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more accelerometers. Device 100 optionally includes, in addition to accelerometer(s) 168, a magnetometer (not shown) and a GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not shown) for obtaining information concerning the location and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of device 100.

In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory 102 include operating system 126, communication module (or set of instructions) 128, contact/motion module (or set of instructions) 130, graphics module (or set of instructions) 132, text input module (or set of instructions) 134, Global Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions) 135, and applications (or sets of instructions) 136. Furthermore, in some embodiments memory 102 stores device/global internal state 157, as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 3. Device/global internal state 157 includes one or more of: active application state, indicating which applications, if any, are currently active; display state, indicating what applications, views or other information occupy various regions of touch screen display 112; sensor state, including information obtained from the device's various sensors and input control devices 116; and location information concerning the device's location and/or attitude.

Operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components.

Communication module 128 facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports 124 and also includes various software components for handling data received by RF circuitry 108 and/or external port 124. External port 124 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) devices.

Contact/motion module 130 may detect contact with touch screen 112 (in conjunction with display controller 156) and other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). Contact/motion module 130 includes various software components for performing various operations related to detection of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger-down event), determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger-dragging events), and determining if the contact has ceased (e.g., detecting a finger-up event or a break in contact). Contact/motion module 130 receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining movement of the point of contact, which is represented by a series of contact data, may include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., “multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, contact/motion module 130 and display controller 156 detects contact on a touchpad. In some embodiments, contact/motion module 130 and controller 160 detects contact on a click wheel.

Contact/motion module 130 may detect a gesture input by a user. Different gestures on the touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns. Thus, a gesture may be detected by detecting a particular contact pattern. For example, detecting a finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event at the same position (or substantially the same position) as the finger-down event (e.g., at the position of an icon). As another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a finger-down event followed by detecting one or more finger-dragging events, and subsequently followed by detecting a finger-up (lift off) event.

Graphics module 132 includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on touch screen 112 or other display, including components for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. As used herein, the term “graphics” includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including without limitation text, web pages, icons (such as user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations and the like.

In some embodiments, graphics module 132 stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic may be assigned a corresponding code. Graphics module 132 receives, from applications etc., one or more codes specifying graphics to be displayed along with, if necessary, coordinate data and other graphic property data, and then generates screen image data to output to display controller 156.

Text input module 134, which may be a component of graphics module 132, provides soft keyboards for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts 137, e-mail 140, IM 141, browser 147, and any other application that needs text input).

GPS module 135 determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone 138 for use in location-based dialing, to camera 143 as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets).

Applications 136 may include the following modules (or sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:

-   -   contacts module 137 (sometimes called an address book or contact         list);     -   telephone module 138;     -   video conferencing module 139;     -   e-mail client module 140;     -   instant messaging (IM) module 141;     -   workout support module 142;     -   camera module 143 for still and/or video images;     -   image management module 144;     -   video player module 145;     -   music player module 146;     -   browser module 147;     -   calendar module 148;     -   widget modules 149, which may include one or more of: weather         widget 149-1, stocks widget 149-2, calculator widget 149-3,         alarm clock widget 149-4, dictionary widget 149-5, and other         widgets obtained by the user, as well as user-created widgets         149-6;     -   widget creator module 150 for making user-created widgets 149-6;     -   search module 151;     -   video and music player module 152, which merges video player         module 145 and music player module 146;     -   notes module 153;     -   map module 154; and/or     -   online video module 155.

Examples of other applications 136 that may be stored in memory 102 include other word processing applications, other image editing applications, drawing applications, presentation applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, contacts module 137 may be used to manage an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in application internal state 192 of contacts module 137 in memory 102 or memory 370), including: adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone number(s), e-mail address(es), physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by telephone 138, video conference 139, e-mail 140, or IM 141; and so forth.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, telephone module 138 may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in address book 137, modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156, optical sensor 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, contact list 137, and telephone module 138, videoconferencing module 139 includes executable instructions to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, e-mail client module 140 includes executable instructions to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module 144, e-mail client module 140 makes it very easy to create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with camera module 143.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the instant messaging module 141 includes executable instructions to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for telephony-based instant messages or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messages), to receive instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, “instant messaging” refers to both telephony-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, GPS module 135, map module 154, and music player module 146, workout support module 142 includes executable instructions to create workouts (e.g., with time, distance, and/or calorie burning goals); communicate with workout sensors (sports devices); receive workout sensor data; calibrate sensors used to monitor a workout; select and play music for a workout; and display, store and transmit workout data.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, optical sensor(s) 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and image management module 144, camera module 143 includes executable instructions to capture still images or video (including a video stream) and store them into memory 102, modify characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory 102.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and camera module 143, image management module 144 includes executable instructions to arrange, modify (e.g., edit), or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or video images.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, and speaker 111, video player module 145 includes executable instructions to display, present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on touch screen 112 or on an external, connected display via external port 124).

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, and browser module 147, music player module 146 includes executable instructions that allow the user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats, such as MP3 or AAC files. In some embodiments, device 100 may include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.).

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, browser module 147 includes executable instructions to browse the Internet in accordance with user instructions, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, e-mail client module 140, and browser module 147, calendar module 148 includes executable instructions to create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.) in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and browser module 147, widget modules 149 are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget 149-1, stocks widget 149-2, calculator widget 149-3, alarm clock widget 149-4, and dictionary widget 149-5) or created by the user (e.g., user-created widget 149-6). In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets).

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and browser module 147, the widget creator module 150 may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget).

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, search module 151 includes executable instructions to search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory 102 that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, notes module 153 includes executable instructions to create and manage notes, to do lists, and the like in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, GPS module 135, and browser module 147, map module 154 may be used to receive, display, modify, and store maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, text input module 134, e-mail client module 140, and browser module 147, online video module 155 includes instructions that allow the user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or download), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port 124), send an e-mail with a link to a particular online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats, such as H.264. In some embodiments, instant messaging module 141, rather than e-mail client module 140, is used to send a link to a particular online video. Additional description of the online video application can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/936,562, “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” filed Jun. 20, 2007, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/968,067, “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Playing Online Videos,” filed Dec. 31, 2007, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to a set of executable instructions for performing one or more functions described above and the methods described in this application (e.g., the computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. For example, video player module 145 may be combined with music player module 146 into a single module (e.g., video and music player module 152, FIG. 1B). In some embodiments, memory 102 may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 102 may store additional modules and data structures not described above.

In some embodiments, device 100 is a device where operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input control device for operation of device 100, the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on device 100 may be reduced.

The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates device 100 to a main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on device 100. In such embodiments, the touchpad may be referred to as a “menu button.” In some other embodiments, the menu button may be a physical push button or other physical input control device instead of a touchpad.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event handling in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 102 (in FIGS. 1A and 1B) or 370 (FIG. 3) includes event sorter 170 (e.g., in operating system 126) and a respective application 136-1 (e.g., any of the aforementioned applications 137-151, 155, 380-390).

Event sorter 170 receives event information and determines the application 136-1 and application view 191 of application 136-1 to which to deliver the event information. Event sorter 170 includes event monitor 171 and event dispatcher module 174. In some embodiments, application 136-1 includes application internal state 192, which indicates the current application view(s) displayed on touch sensitive display 112 when the application is active or executing. In some embodiments, device/global internal state 157 is used by event sorter 170 to determine which application(s) is(are) currently active, and application internal state 192 is used by event sorter 170 to determine application views 191 to which to deliver event information.

In some embodiments, application internal state 192 includes additional information, such as one or more of: resume information to be used when application 136-1 resumes execution, user interface state information that indicates information being displayed or that is ready for display by application 136-1, a state queue for enabling the user to go back to a prior state or view of application 136-1, and a redo/undo queue of previous actions taken by the user.

Event monitor 171 receives event information from peripherals interface 118. Event information includes information about a sub-event (e.g., a user touch on touch-sensitive display 112, as part of a multi-touch gesture). Peripherals interface 118 transmits information it receives from I/O subsystem 106 or a sensor, such as proximity sensor 166, accelerometer(s) 168, and/or microphone 113 (through audio circuitry 110). Information that peripherals interface 118 receives from I/O subsystem 106 includes information from touch-sensitive display 112 or a touch-sensitive surface.

In some embodiments, event monitor 171 sends requests to the peripherals interface 118 at predetermined intervals. In response, peripherals interface 118 transmits event information. In other embodiments, peripheral interface 118 transmits event information only when there is a significant event (e.g., receiving an input above a predetermined noise threshold and/or for more than a predetermined duration).

In some embodiments, event sorter 170 also includes a hit view determination module 172 and/or an active event recognizer determination module 173.

Hit view determination module 172 provides software procedures for determining where a sub-event has taken place within one or more views, when touch sensitive display 112 displays more than one view. Views are made up of controls and other elements that a user can see on the display.

Another aspect of the user interface associated with an application is a set of views, sometimes herein called application views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed and touch-based gestures occur. The application views (of a respective application) in which a touch is detected may correspond to programmatic levels within a programmatic or view hierarchy of the application. For example, the lowest level view in which a touch is detected may be called the hit view, and the set of events that are recognized as proper inputs may be determined based, at least in part, on the hit view of the initial touch that begins a touch-based gesture.

Hit view determination module 172 receives information related to sub-events of a touch-based gesture. When an application has multiple views organized in a hierarchy, hit view determination module 172 identifies a hit view as the lowest view in the hierarchy which should handle the sub-event. In most circumstances, the hit view is the lowest level view in which an initiating sub-event occurs (i.e., the first sub-event in the sequence of sub-events that form an event or potential event). Once the hit view is identified by the hit view determination module, the hit view typically receives all sub-events related to the same touch or input source for which it was identified as the hit view.

Active event recognizer determination module 173 determines which view or views within a view hierarchy should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In some embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 173 determines that only the hit view should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 173 determines that all views that include the physical location of a sub-event are actively involved views, and therefore determines that all actively involved views should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, even if touch sub-events were entirely confined to the area associated with one particular view, views higher in the hierarchy would still remain as actively involved views.

Event dispatcher module 174 dispatches the event information to an event recognizer (e.g., event recognizer 180). In embodiments including active event recognizer determination module 173, event dispatcher module 174 delivers the event information to an event recognizer determined by active event recognizer determination module 173. In some embodiments, event dispatcher module 174 stores in an event queue the event information, which is retrieved by a respective event receiver module 182.

In some embodiments, operating system 126 includes event sorter 170. Alternatively, application 136-1 includes event sorter 170. In yet other embodiments, event sorter 170 is a stand-alone module, or a part of another module stored in memory 102, such as contact/motion module 130.

In some embodiments, application 136-1 includes a plurality of event handlers 190 and one or more application views 191, each of which includes instructions for handling touch events that occur within a respective view of the application's user interface. Each application view 191 of the application 136-1 includes one or more event recognizers 180. Typically, a respective application view 191 includes a plurality of event recognizers 180. In other embodiments, one or more of event recognizers 180 are part of a separate module, such as a user interface kit (not shown) or a higher level object from which application 136-1 inherits methods and other properties. In some embodiments, a respective event handler 190 includes one or more of: data updater 176, object updater 177, GUI updater 178, and/or event data 179 received from event sorter 170. Event handler 190 may utilize or call data updater 176, object updater 177 or GUI updater 178 to update the application internal state 192. Alternatively, one or more of the application views 191 includes one or more respective event handlers 190. Also, in some embodiments, one or more of data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater 178 are included in a respective application view 191.

A respective event recognizer 180 receives event information (e.g., event data 179) from event sorter 170, and identifies an event from the event information. Event recognizer 180 includes event receiver 182 and event comparator 184. In some embodiments, event recognizer 180 also includes at least a subset of: metadata 183, and event delivery instructions 188 (which may include sub-event delivery instructions).

Event receiver 182 receives event information from event sorter 170. The event information includes information about a sub-event, for example, a touch or a touch movement. Depending on the sub-event, the event information also includes additional information, such as location of the sub-event. When the sub-event concerns motion of a touch the event information may also include speed and direction of the sub-event. In some embodiments, events include rotation of the device from one orientation to another (e.g., from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, or vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding information about the current orientation (also called device attitude) of the device.

Event comparator 184 compares the event information to predefined event or sub-event definitions and, based on the comparison, determines an event or sub-event, or determines or updates the state of an event or sub-event. In some embodiments, event comparator 184 includes event definitions 186. Event definitions 186 contain definitions of events (e.g., predefined sequences of sub-events), for example, event 1 (187-1), event 2 (187-2), and others. In some embodiments, sub-events in an event 187 include, for example, touch begin, touch end, touch movement, touch cancellation, and multiple touching. In one example, the definition for event 1 (187-1) is a double tap on a displayed object. The double tap, for example, comprises a first touch (touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a first lift-off (touch end) for a predetermined phase, a second touch (touch begin) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, and a second lift-off (touch end) for a predetermined phase. In another example, the definition for event 2 (187-2) is a dragging on a displayed object. The dragging, for example, comprises a touch (or contact) on the displayed object for a predetermined phase, a movement of the touch across touch-sensitive display 112, and lift-off of the touch (touch end). In some embodiments, the event also includes information for one or more associated event handlers 190.

In some embodiments, event definition 187 includes a definition of an event for a respective user-interface object. In some embodiments, event comparator 184 performs a hit test to determine which user-interface object is associated with a sub-event. For example, in an application view in which three user-interface objects are displayed on touch-sensitive display 112, when a touch is detected on touch-sensitive display 112, event comparator 184 performs a hit test to determine which of the three user-interface objects is associated with the touch (sub-event). If each displayed object is associated with a respective event handler 190, the event comparator uses the result of the hit test to determine which event handler 190 should be activated. For example, event comparator 184 selects an event handler associated with the sub-event and the object triggering the hit test.

In some embodiments, the definition for a respective event 187 also includes delayed actions that delay delivery of the event information until after it has been determined whether the sequence of sub-events does or does not correspond to the event recognizer's event type.

When a respective event recognizer 180 determines that the series of sub-events do not match any of the events in event definitions 186, the respective event recognizer 180 enters an event impossible, event failed, or event ended state, after which it disregards subsequent sub-events of the touch-based gesture. In this situation, other event recognizers, if any, that remain active for the hit view continue to track and process sub-events of an ongoing touch-based gesture.

In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer 180 includes metadata 183 with configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how the event delivery system should perform sub-event delivery to actively involved event recognizers. In some embodiments, metadata 183 includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how event recognizers may interact with one another. In some embodiments, metadata 183 includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate whether sub-events are delivered to varying levels in the view or programmatic hierarchy.

In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer 180 activates event handler 190 associated with an event when one or more particular sub-events of an event are recognized. In some embodiments, a respective event recognizer 180 delivers event information associated with the event to event handler 190. Activating an event handler 190 is distinct from sending (and deferred sending) sub-events to a respective hit view. In some embodiments, event recognizer 180 throws a flag associated with the recognized event, and event handler 190 associated with the flag catches the flag and performs a predefined process.

In some embodiments, event delivery instructions 188 include sub-event delivery instructions that deliver event information about a sub-event without activating an event handler. Instead, the sub-event delivery instructions deliver event information to event handlers associated with the series of sub-events or to actively involved views. Event handlers associated with the series of sub-events or with actively involved views receive the event information and perform a predetermined process.

In some embodiments, data updater 176 creates and updates data used in application 136-1. For example, data updater 176 updates the telephone number used in contacts module 137, or stores a video file used in video player module 145. In some embodiments, object updater 177 creates and updates objects used in application 136-1. For example, object updater 176 creates a new user-interface object or updates the position of a user-interface object. GUI updater 178 updates the GUI. For example, GUI updater 178 prepares display information and sends it to graphics module 132 for display on a touch-sensitive display.

In some embodiments, event handler(s) 190 includes or has access to data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater 178. In some embodiments, data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater 178 are included in a single module of a respective application 136-1 or application view 191. In other embodiments, they are included in two or more software modules.

It shall be understood that the foregoing discussion regarding event handling of user touches on touch-sensitive displays also applies to other forms of user inputs to operate multifunction devices 100 with input-devices, not all of which are initiated on touch screens, e.g., coordinating mouse movement and mouse button presses with or without single or multiple keyboard presses or holds, user movements taps, drags, scrolls, etc., on touch-pads, pen stylus inputs, movement of the device, oral instructions, detected eye movements, biometric inputs, and/or any combination thereof, which may be utilized as inputs corresponding to sub-events which define an event to be recognized.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portable multifunction device 100 having a touch screen 112 in accordance with some embodiments. The touch screen may display one or more graphics within user interface (UI) 200. In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a user may select one or more of the graphics by making contact or touching the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers 202 (not drawn to scale in the figure) or one or more styluses 203 (not drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, selection of one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with the one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the contact may include a gesture, such as one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, right to left, upward and/or downward) and/or a rolling of a finger (from right to left, left to right, upward and/or downward) that has made contact with device 100. In some embodiments, inadvertent contact with a graphic may not select the graphic. For example, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an application icon may not select the corresponding application when the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap.

Device 100 may also include one or more physical buttons, such as “home” or menu button 204. As described previously, menu button 204 may be used to navigate to any application 136 in a set of applications that may be executed on device 100. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on touch screen 112.

In one embodiment, device 100 includes touch screen 112, menu button 204, push button 206 for powering the device on/off and locking the device, volume adjustment button(s) 208, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card slot 210, head set jack 212, and docking/charging external port 124. Push button 206 may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an alternative embodiment, device 100 also may accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some functions through microphone 113.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance with some embodiments. Device 300 need not be portable. In some embodiments, device 300 is a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a multimedia player device, a navigation device, an educational device (such as a child's learning toy), a gaming system, or a control device (e.g., a home or industrial controller). Device 300 typically includes one or more processing units (CPU's) 310, one or more network or other communications interfaces 360, memory 370, and one or more communication buses 320 for interconnecting these components. Communication buses 320 may include circuitry (sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects and controls communications between system components. Device 300 includes input/output (I/O) interface 330 comprising display 340, which is typically a touch screen display. I/O interface 330 also may include a keyboard and/or mouse (or other pointing device) 350 and touchpad 355. Memory 370 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid state memory devices; and may include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices. Memory 370 may optionally include one or more storage devices remotely located from CPU(s) 310. In some embodiments, memory 370 stores programs, modules, and data structures analogous to the programs, modules, and data structures stored in memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100 (FIG. 1), or a subset thereof. Furthermore, memory 370 may store additional programs, modules, and data structures not present in memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100. For example, memory 370 of device 300 may store drawing module 380, presentation module 382, word processing module 384, website creation module 386, disk authoring module 388, and/or spreadsheet module 390, while memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100 (FIG. 1) may not store these modules.

Each of the above identified elements in FIG. 3 may be stored in one or more of the previously mentioned memory devices. Each of the above identified modules corresponds to a set of instructions for performing a function described above. The above identified modules or programs (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 370 may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory 370 may store additional modules and data structures not described above.

Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) that may be implemented on portable multifunction device 100.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate exemplary user interfaces for a menu of applications on portable multifunction device 100 in accordance with some embodiments. Similar user interfaces may be implemented on device 300. In some embodiments, user interface 400A includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:

-   -   Signal strength indicator(s) 402 for wireless communication(s),         such as cellular and Wi-Fi signals;     -   Time 404;     -   Bluetooth indicator 405;     -   Battery status indicator 406;     -   Tray 408 with icons for frequently used applications, such as:         -   Phone 138, which may include an indicator 414 of the number             of missed calls or voicemail messages;         -   E-mail client 140, which may include an indicator 410 of the             number of unread e-mails;         -   Browser 147; and         -   Music player 146; and     -   Icons for other applications, such as:         -   IM 141;         -   Image management 144;         -   Camera 143;         -   Video player 145;         -   Weather 149-1;         -   Stocks 149-2;         -   Workout support 142;         -   Calendar 148;         -   Calculator 149-3;         -   Alarm clock 149-4;         -   Dictionary 149-5; and         -   User-created widget 149-6.

In some embodiments, user interface 400B includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:

402, 404, 405, 406, 141, 148, 144, 143, 149-3, 149-2, 149-1, 149-4, 410, 414, 138, 140, and 147, as described above;

-   -   Map 154;     -   Notes 153;     -   Settings 412, which provides access to settings for device 100         and its various applications 136, as described further below;     -   Video and music player module 152, also referred to as iPod         (trademark of Apple Inc.) module 152; and     -   Online video module 155, also referred to as YouTube (trademark         of Google Inc.) module 155.

FIG. 4C illustrates an exemplary user interface on a device (e.g., device 300, FIG. 3) with a touch-sensitive surface 451 (e.g., a tablet or touchpad 355, FIG. 3) that is separate from the display 450 (e.g., touch screen display 112). Although many of the examples which follow will be given with reference to inputs on touch screen display 112 (where the touch sensitive surface and the display are combined), in some embodiments, the device detects inputs on a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display, as shown in FIG. 4C. In some embodiments the touch sensitive surface (e.g., 451 in FIG. 4C) has a primary axis (e.g., 452 in FIG. 4C) that corresponds to a primary axis (e.g., 453 in FIG. 4C) on the display (e.g., 450). In accordance with these embodiments, the device detects contacts (e.g., 460 and 462 in FIG. 4C) with the touch-sensitive surface 451 at locations that correspond to respective locations on the display (e.g., in FIG. 4C 460 corresponds to 468 and 462 corresponds to 470). In this way, user inputs (e.g., contacts 460 and 462, and movements thereof) detected by the device on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., 451 in FIG. 4C) are used by the device to manipulate the user interface on the display (e.g., 450 in FIG. 4C) of the multifunction device when the touch-sensitive surface is separate from the display. It should be understood that similar methods may be used for other user interfaces described herein.

Additionally, while the following examples are given primarily with reference to finger inputs (e.g., finger contacts, finger tap gestures, finger swipe gestures), it should be understood that, in some embodiments, one or more of the finger inputs are replaced with input from another input device (e.g., a mouse based input or stylus input). For example, a swipe gesture may be replaced with a mouse click (e.g., instead of a contact) followed by movement of the cursor along the path of the swipe (e.g., instead of movement of the contact). As another example, a tap gesture may be replaced with a mouse click while a mouse cursor is located over the location of the tap gesture (e.g., instead of detection of the contact followed by ceasing to detect the contact). Similarly, when multiple user inputs are simultaneously detected, it should be understood that multiple computer mice or other input devices may be used simultaneously, or a mouse and finger contacts may be used simultaneously.

Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) and associated processes that may be implemented on a multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, such as device 300 or portable multifunction device 100.

FIGS. 5A-5K illustrate exemplary user interfaces for navigating through a hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments. The user interfaces in these figures are used to illustrate the processes described below, including the processes in FIGS. 7A-7E.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate exemplary user interfaces for navigating to a lower level in a hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5A, a view 502-1-a of a top level of a hierarchical device settings user interface is displayed. The device settings user interface includes a plurality of virtual buttons 504 for selecting settings to adjust (e.g., “wi-fi,” “sound,” “brightness,” “wallpaper,” “general,” “mail, contacts, calendars,” “web browser,” “text,” “media player,” “photos,” and “stores” settings). In response to detecting a tap gesture 504 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location of a respective virtual button 504-6 on the display (e.g., touch screen 112), the device displays an animation of the view 502-1 of the top layer shifting backwards along a simulated z-axis into the display, as illustrated in FIG. 5B. Thus, in FIG. 5C, the view 502-2-a of the respective lower level is displayed on the display, while a predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level is also displayed.

FIGS. 5C and 5A illustrate exemplary user interfaces for returning to a top level of a hierarchical user interface from a lower level of the hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5C the device detects a tap gesture 506 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location on the display (e.g., touch screen 112) of the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level. In response to detecting the tap gesture 506, the device redisplays the view 502-1-a of the top level and ceases to display the view 502-2-a of the respective lower level, as illustrated in FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 5C-5E illustrate exemplary user interfaces for navigating between lower levels in a hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5C the device detects a tap gesture 508 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location on the display (e.g., touch screen 112) of a virtual button for displaying a view of a different lower level of the user interface. In response to detecting the tap gesture 508, the device displays an animation of the view 502-2 of the lower layer and the predefined portion 502-1 of the view of the top level shifting backwards along a simulated z-axis into the display (e.g., touch screen 112), as illustrated in FIG. 5D. Thus, in FIG. 5E, the view 502-3 of the different lower level is displayed on the display (e.g., touch screen 112), while the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level and a predefined portion 502-2-b of the view of the respective lower level is displayed. In some embodiments, the view 502-3 of the different lower level includes a back button 512 for redisplaying the respective lower level (e.g., 502-2-a in FIG. 5C).

FIGS. 5C and 5F-5G illustrate exemplary user interfaces for navigating between lower levels in a hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5C the device detects a tap gesture 508 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location on the display (e.g., touch screen 112) of a virtual button for displaying a view of a different lower level of the user interface. In response to detecting the tap gesture 508, the device displays an animation of the view 502-2 of the lower layer sliding out of the display area to the right, as a different lower layer 502-3 slides into the display area from the left, as illustrated in FIG. 5F. Thus, in FIG. 5G, the view 502-3 of the different lower level is displayed on the display (e.g., touch screen 112), while the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level is displayed, however no predefined portion of the view of the respective lower level is displayed. In some embodiments, the view 502-3 of the different lower level includes a back button 512 for redisplaying the respective lower level (e.g., 502-2-a in FIG. 5C).

FIGS. 5C and 5H-5I illustrate exemplary user interfaces for entering a content modification mode for a lower level of a hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5C the device detects a tap gesture 510 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location on the display (e.g., touch screen 112) of a virtual button for modifying content (e.g., modifying an email signature). In response to detecting the tap gesture 510, the device displays an animation of the view 502-2-a of the respective lower level moving upwards so as to hide the predefined portion 502-1-b of the top level, and displays an animation of a content modification interface (e.g., a keyboard 514) moving upwards onto the display (e.g., touch screen 112), as illustrated in FIG. 5H. While the content modification interface (e.g., keyboard 514) is displayed, a cursor is displayed for modifying the email signature, and the email signature is modified (e.g., from “Sent from my iPad” in FIGS. 5C and 5G to “www.myblog.com” in FIGS. 5J-5K) in response to modification inputs associated with the modification interface.

FIGS. 5I-5K illustrate exemplary user interfaces for leaving a content modification mode for a lower level of a hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5I the device detects a tap gesture 516 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location on the display (e.g., touch screen 112) of a virtual button 518 for dismissing the content modification interface (e.g., keyboard 514). In response to detecting the tap gesture 516, the device displays an animation of the view 502-2-a of the respective lower level moving downwards so as to reveal the predefined portion 502-1-b of the top level, and displays an animation of a content modification interface (e.g., a keyboard 514) moving downwards off of the display (e.g., touch screen 112), as illustrated in FIG. 5J. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 5K, the view 502-2-a of the respective lower level is displayed on the display (e.g., touch screen 112), while a predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level is also displayed.

FIGS. 5K and 5A illustrate exemplary user interfaces for returning to a top level of a hierarchical user interface from a lower level of the hierarchical user interface in accordance with some embodiments. For example, in FIG. 5K the device detects a tap gesture 520 at a location on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen 112) that corresponds to a location on the display (e.g., touch screen 112) of the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level. In response to detecting the tap gesture 520, the device redisplays the view 502-1-a of the top level and ceases to display the view 502-2-a of the respective lower level, as illustrated in FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrate simulated “side-views” of the user interfaces illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5C, 5I and 5K, respectively. In these simulated “side-views,” the views of the hierarchical user interface (e.g., the view 502-1 of the top level, the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, and optionally, a view 502-n of an intermediate lower level) are located at different points along a simulated z-axis 602, and are viewed from a simulated viewpoint 604 that has a simulated field of view indicated by the area between the dotted lines. In FIG. 6A, the simulated viewpoint 604-a moves to the right (e.g., out of the display towards the user) along the simulated z-axis so as to include additional views (e.g., 502-2 and 502-n) in the simulated field of view (e.g., as illustrated by simulated viewpoint 604-b and associated field of view in FIG. 6B). In FIG. 6B, the simulated viewpoint 604-b moves to the downwards along the y-axis so that a simulated line of sight is substantially parallel to the simulated z-axis (e.g., as illustrated by simulated viewpoint 604-c in FIG. 6C). In FIG. 6C, the simulated viewpoint 604-c moves to the upwards along the y-axis so that a simulated line of sight is no longer substantially parallel to the simulated z-axis (e.g., the simulated viewpoint 604-d in FIG. 6D is at an angle “looking down” over the simulated z-axis).

FIGS. 7A-7E are flow diagrams illustrating a method 700 of navigating through a hierarchy in accordance with some embodiments. The method 700 is performed at a multifunction device (e.g., device 300, FIG. 3, or portable multifunction device 100, FIG. 1) with a display and a touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, the display is a touch screen display and the touch-sensitive surface is on the display. In some embodiments, the display is separate from the touch-sensitive surface. Some operations in method 700 may be combined and/or the order of some operations may be changed.

As described below, the method 700 provides an intuitive way to navigate through a hierarchy. The method reduces the cognitive burden on a user when navigating through a hierarchical user interface by concurrently providing context for the user during navigation, providing a shortcut to return to the top level of the hierarchy, and hiding the shortcut when the user is modifying content at some lower level in the hierarchy (to prevent accidental activation of the shortcut when the user is modifying content), thereby creating a more efficient human-machine interface. For battery-operated computing devices, enabling a user to navigate through a hierarchy faster and more efficiently by preventing accidental input conserves power and increases the time between battery charges.

The device displays (702) a view (e.g., 502-1-a in FIG. 5A) of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display. The hierarchical user interface has a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels. For example, in FIG. 5A, the device displays a top level 502-1 of a device settings user interface for adjusting settings of the device. In this example, the top level of the settings user interface includes virtual buttons 504 for selecting settings that can be adjusted (e.g., via a lower level of the hierarchical user interface for “wi-fi” settings, “sounds” settings, “brightness” settings, “wallpaper” settings, etc.), each of which represents a lower level of the hierarchical user interface. In other words, the user can select a representation of a lower level in the hierarchical user interface to navigate to a lower level in the hierarchical user interface (e.g., drilling down into the hierarchy of the hierarchical user interface). The device detects (704) a first input (e.g., an input indicating selection of a folder in a file management application or a preference pane in a settings application). For example, in FIG. 5A, the device detects a tap gesture 504 on a touch sensitive surface 112 that corresponds to a virtual button 504-6 for displaying preferences for “Mail, Contacts, Calendars.”

In response to detecting the first input (e.g., tap gesture 504 in FIG. 5A), the device displays (706) a view (e.g., 502-2-a in FIG. 5C) of at least one of the lower levels (e.g., a settings interface for modifying settings related to “Mail, Contacts, Calendars) while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion (e.g., 502-1-b in FIG. 5C) of the view of the top level (e.g., the top level of the device settings user interface 502-1). In some embodiments, displaying the view of at least one of the lower levels includes: displaying (708) an animation of the view of the top level moving backwards into the display (e.g., moving along a simulated z-axis that extends into touch screen 112, as illustrated in FIG. 5B) and displaying the view (e.g., 502-2-a in FIG. 5C) of at least one of the lower levels in front of the view of the top level so as to partially cover the view of the top level while still displaying a predefined portion of the view of the top level. For example, in FIG. 5C, the top edge 502-1-b of the device settings user interface is displayed just above the view of the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” settings interface.

In some embodiments, the edge of the view of the top level is displayed (710) in accordance with a simulated three-dimensional arrangement of the views of the hierarchical user interface along a simulated z-axis of the display; and a simulated viewpoint from which the simulated three-dimensional arrangement is viewed. In other words, the display has a simulated third dimension which extends “into” a simulated z-axis (i.e., “depth” axis) of the display, and the top level is displayed behind the respective lower level, as though it is a predetermined distance behind the respective lower level along the simulated z-axis of the display, and the hierarchical user interface is being viewed from a simulated viewpoint has a simulated line of sight that is not parallel to the simulated z-axis (e.g., a viewpoint that is “looking down” on the views of the hierarchical levels that are located further back along the simulated z-axis). In other words, in some embodiments, the view of the top level and the view of the respective level are arranged so that higher levels in the hierarchy are closer to a vanishing point on the display.

Thus, as shown in FIGS. 5B-5C, the device simulates a third dimension that extends into the display (e.g., touch screen 112) by reducing the size of the view of the top level of the hierarchical user interface and displaying a view 502-2-a of a lower level of the hierarchical user interface that partially overlaps the view of the top level of the hierarchical user interface. Simulated “side-views” of FIGS. 5A and 5C are illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B, respectively and are described in greater detail below. However, it should be understood that, typically, only the “front-view” of the views of the hierarchical user interface (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 5A-5C) is displayed to the user, and graphical effects such as reducing the size of views that are moved “backwards” into the display are used to create the illusion of depth. While the preceding examples primarily discuss adjusting the size of the views to give the illusion of depth, it should be understood that many different graphical effects may be used to enhance the illusion of depth (e.g., displaying shadows for each view of a level of the hierarchy, displaying other user interface elements that give the illusion of depth, adjusting the saturation and/or brightness of views as they move “backwards” along the simulated z-axis so as to simulate atmospheric distortion, etc.).

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate simulated “side-views” of FIGS. 5A and 5C, respectively. In this simulated “side-view,” the views of the hierarchical user interface (e.g., the view 502-1 of the top level, the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, and optionally, a view 502-n of an intermediate lower level) are located at different points along the simulated z-axis. FIG. 6A illustrates the location of the simulated viewpoint with respect to the location of the views 502 along the simulated z-axis in FIG. 5A. In this configuration, the simulated field of view of the simulated viewpoint includes only the view 502-1 of the top level of the hierarchical user interface. In FIG. 6B, when the viewpoint is shifted forwards out of the display (e.g., from 604-a to 604-b) relative to the location of the views 502 along the simulated z-axis, the view 502-1 of the top level and the view 502-2 of the respective lower level are both within the field of view of the simulated viewpoint 604-b, however the view 502-1 of the top level is partially obscured by the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, as illustrated in the “front-view” shown in FIG. 5C.

In some embodiments, operations 714-720 are performed (712) after detecting the first input and while displaying at least a portion of the view of the top level. In some embodiments, the device detects (714) one or more intermediate inputs (e.g., tap gesture 508 in FIG. 5C at a location on the touch screen 112 that corresponds to a virtual button for modifying settings for an email address), and in response to detecting the one or more intermediate inputs, the device navigates (716) through a plurality of intermediate lower levels to reach the respective lower level (e.g., in FIGS. 5E and 5G, a view 502-3 of a different lower level is displayed on the touch screen 112).

In some embodiments, navigating through the plurality of intermediate lower levels includes displaying (718) animated transitions between subsequent intermediate levels while maintaining display of the predefined portion of the view of the top level. As one example of an animated transition between subsequent intermediate levels, in Figures 5F-5G, the device displays an animation which simulates the view 502-2-a of the previously displayed lower level sliding out of the display area to the right, while a view 502-3 of a different lower level slides onto the display are from the left. Additionally, it should be noted, that in some of these embodiments, only the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level is displayed, and no other predefined portions of other views of lower levels are displayed. In other words, in some embodiments, when transitioning from a first lower level to a second lower level, the first lower level slides off the display to the right as the second lower level slides onto the display from the left without displaying predefined portions of the intermediate lower levels on the display. In many circumstances it is advantageous to display only a predefined portion of the view of the top level, because it provides the user with a region of the user interface that can be selected to redisplay a view of a frequently accessed level of the hierarchy (e.g., the top level) without unnecessarily cluttering the user interface with additional elements (e.g., predefined portions of views of respective lower levels) that could confuse the user and make it more difficult for the user to accurately select the region of the user interface (e.g., the predefined portion of the view of the top level) that displays the view of the frequently accessed level of the hierarchy.

As another example of an animated transition between subsequent intermediate levels, in FIGS. 5D-5E, the device displays an animation which simulates the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level and the view 502-2-a of the lower level moving backwards along a simulated z-axis of the display by further reducing the size of the predefined portion 502-1 (e.g., from 502-1-b in FIG. 5D to 502-1-b in FIG. 5E) of the view of the top level of the hierarchical user interface, reducing the size of the view 502-2 (e.g., from 502-2-a in FIG. 5D to 502-2-b in FIG. 5E) of the previously displayed lower level of the hierarchical user interface, and displaying a view 502-3 of a different lower level of the hierarchical user interface that partially overlaps the view 502-2 of the previously displayed lower level of the user interface and the view 502-1 of the top level of the hierarchical user interface. While the preceding example primarily discusses adjusting the size of the views to give the illusion of depth, it should be understood that many different graphical effects may be used to enhance the illusion of depth (e.g., displaying shadows for each view of a level of the hierarchy, displaying other user interface elements that give the illusion of depth, adjusting the saturation and/or brightness of views as they move “backwards” along the simulated z-axis so as to simulate atmospheric distortion, etc.).

In some embodiments, after navigating through the plurality of intermediate lower levels, the device displays (720) a predefined portion of a view of one or more of the intermediate lower levels in addition to displaying the predefined portion of the view of the top level. For example, in FIG. 5E, after transitioning from displaying a view 502-2-a of a first lower level in FIG. 5D to displaying a view 502-3 of a second lower level in FIG. 5E, the view 502-2-a of the first lower level has moved backwards along the simulated z-axis and the view 502-3 of the second lower level appears to be in front of the view 502-2 of the first lower level, and the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level has also moved further backwards, as though it is being pushed backwards in z-space (e.g., so that it appears to be behind both the view 502-2 of the first lower level and the view 502-3 of the second lower level). Consequently, continuing this example, after multiple lower levels have been navigated through, a top portion (e.g., 502-1-b and 502-2-b in FIG. 5E) of each level of the hierarchy that is above the currently displayed lower level is displayed above the view 502-3 of the currently displayed lower level. In many circumstances it is advantageous to display a predefined portion of the view of each level that is above the currently displayed lower level in the hierarchical user interface, because it provides the user with regions of the user interface that can be selected to redisplay a view of any arbitrary level between the top level of the user interface and the lower level of the user interface that is currently displayed, thereby enabling the user to more efficiently navigate through the user interface.

While displaying a view (e.g., 502-2-a in FIG. 5C or 502-3 in FIG. 5E) of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion (e.g., 502-1-b in FIG. 5C or 502-1-b in FIG. 5E) of the view of the top level, the device detects (722) a second input (e.g., tap gesture 506 or tap gesture 508 in FIG. 5C).

In some embodiments, operations 726-728 are performed (724) when the second input corresponds to a selection of the predefined portion of the view of the top level (e.g., tap gesture 506 in FIG. 5C, which corresponds to selection of the predefined portion 502-1-b of the top level). In some embodiments, the device ceases (726) to display view of the respective lower level; and redisplays (728) the view of the top level. For example, from FIG. 5C, in response to detecting the tap gesture 506 on the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level, the device returns to the state displayed in FIG. 5A, where the view 502-1-a of the top level of the user interface is displayed without displaying the view of the lower level of the user interface. In many circumstances it is advantageous to provide the user with a quick way to return to the top level of a hierarchical user interface, because users frequently navigate through multiple levels of a hierarchical user interface to perform a specific action (e.g., changing a setting) and do not need to navigate back through all of the intermediate levels after performing the specific action, thus the efficiency of the user interface is improved by providing users with a simple way to return to the top level of the hierarchy.

Operations 732-740 are performed (730) when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level. For example in FIG. 5C, the device detects a tap gesture 510 on a virtual button that corresponds to a request to enter an email signature modification mode.

The device enters (732) the content modification mode for the respective lower level (e.g., the device enters a mode where the user can modify the email signature by adding and/or deleting text from signature, as illustrated in FIG. 5I). In some embodiments, entering the content modification mode includes displaying (734) a content modification interface (e.g., keyboard 514 in FIGS. 5H-5J and/or a text box with a cursor). While the preceding examples are described with reference to a text modification mode, it should be understood that the content modification mode may be a mode for modifying virtually any kind of content (e.g., an image, video, spreadsheet, audio, etc.). Similarly, while the preceding examples are described with reference to a content modification interface that is a keyboard, it should be understood that different types of content modification interfaces are contemplated. For example, when the content is an image, a photo cropping interface may be displayed; when the content is text, a keyboard may be displayed; when the content is a numerical value, a number selection interface may be displayed; and when the content is video, a video editing user interface may be displayed.

The device ceases (736) to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level (e.g., sliding the view 502-2-a of the lower level upwards to cover the predefined portion 502-1-b of view of the top level, as illustrated in FIGS. 5H-5I). Frequently, while navigating through a hierarchical user interface, a user will want to return to the top level after reaching the desired lower level, thus it is advantageous to display a selectable element (e.g., the predefined portion of the view of the top level) which, when selected, causes the device to redisplay the view of the top level of the hierarchical user interface. However, in some circumstances, while the view of the lower level is displayed, the user will enter a content modification mode in order to perform a content modification operation that is associated with the lower level. It should be understood that, while the user is in a content modification mode, the user is typically not interested in returning to the top level of the hierarchical user interface. In fact, returning to the top level of the hierarchical user interface during the content modification operation would typically be disruptive to the user, because it would require the user to navigate back to the lower level in order to resume the content modification operation, and would consequently result in less efficient operation of the device. Thus, it is likely that any input with the predefined portion of the view of the top level is an accidental input. As such, it is advantageous to temporarily cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level while the user is performing the content modification operation, so as to avoid such accidental inputs.

In some embodiments, ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes shifting (738) the simulated viewpoint in a predefined direction (e.g., downwards) so as to cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level in accordance with simulated parallax (e.g., shifting the viewpoint from looking “down” on the simulated z-axis to looking straight along/into the simulated z-axis). FIGS. 6B and 6C illustrate simulated “side-views” of FIGS. 5C and 5I, respectively. In these simulated “side-views,” the views of the hierarchical user interface (e.g., the view 502-1 of the top level, the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, and optionally, a view 502-n of an intermediate lower level) are located at different points along the simulated z-axis. FIG. 6B illustrates the location of the simulated viewpoint with respect to the location of the views 502 along the simulated z-axis in FIG. 5C. In this configuration, the view 502-1 of the top level and the view 502-2 of the respective lower level are both within the field of view of the simulated viewpoint 604-b, however the view 502-1 of the top level is only partially obscured by the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, because the simulated viewpoint 604-b is slightly elevated. However, in FIG. 6C, when the viewpoint is shifted downwards (e.g., from 604-b to 604-c) relative to the location of the views 502 along the simulated z-axis, the view 502-1 of the top level is completely obscured by the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, as illustrated in the “front view” shown in FIG. 5I.

In some embodiments, ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes concurrently: displaying (740) an animation of the view of the respective lower level moving in a predefined direction on the display so as to cover the predefined portion of the view of the top level; and displaying an animation of the content modification interface moving into a region of the display that was previously occupied by the view of the respective lower level. For example, in FIGS. 5H-5I, as view 502-2-a is shifted upwards (e.g., as the simulated viewpoint 604 in FIGS. 6B-6C is shifted downwards from 604-b to 604-c) the keyboard 514 slides upwards on the display. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 5I, the keyboard 514 moves into a portion of the display (e.g., touch screen 112) that was previously occupied by the view 502-2-a of the lower level as illustrated in FIG. 5H.

In some embodiments, operations 744-754 are performed (742) after entering the content modification mode and, optionally modifying content (e.g., by deleting “Sent from my iPad” in FIG. 5H with “www.myblog.com” in FIG. 5J), as illustrated in FIG. 5I. In some embodiments, the device detects (744) a third input that corresponds to a request to leave the content modification mode. For example, in FIG. 5I, the device detects a tap gesture 516 at a location on the touch screen 112 that corresponds to a virtual “keyboard hide” button 518. While the preceding example is given with respect to a specific key on a keyboard interface, it should be understood that the request to leave content modification mode could be virtually any input that indicates that the user has finished making modifications to the content, such as an input that includes selection of a “done” button, or selection of a portion of the lower level that is outside of the content modification interface, etc.

In some of these embodiments, operations 748-754 are performed (746) in response to detecting the third input (e.g., tap gesture 516 in FIG. 5I at a location on the touch screen 112 that corresponds to a virtual “keyboard hide” button 518), as described in greater detail above. In some embodiments, the device leaves (748) the content modification mode (e.g., the device leaves the signature modification mode) and, optionally, ceases to display the content modification user interface (e.g., ceases to display the keyboard 514 as illustrated in FIG. 5K). In some embodiments, entering the content modification mode includes displaying a content modification interface (e.g., keyboard 514 or other content modification interface), as described in greater detail above. In some of these embodiments (e.g., where entering the content modification mode includes displaying a content modification user interface), leaving the content modification mode includes concurrently: displaying (750) an animation of the content modification interface moving in a predefined direction on the display (e.g., the keyboard 514 slides off of the display so as to make room for the preferences pane) and displaying an animation of the view of the respective lower level moving into a region of the display that was previously occupied by the content modification interface so as to reveal the predefined portion of the view of the top level (e.g., moving the view 502-2-a of the lower level down to reveal the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level above the view 502-2-a of the lower level, as illustrated in FIGS. 5J-5K). For example, in FIGS. 5J-5K, as view 502-2-a is shifted downwards (e.g., as the simulated viewpoint 604 in FIGS. 6C-6D is shifted upwards from 604-c to 604-d) the keyboard 514 slides downwards on the display. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 5K, the keyboard 514 moves downward off of the display (e.g., touch screen 112) so as to make room for the view 502-2-a of the lower level to be displayed, as illustrated in FIG. 5K.

In some embodiments, in conjunction with leaving the content modification mode, as described in greater detail above with reference to FIGS. 5I-5K the device redisplays (752) the predefined portion (e.g., 502-1-b in FIG. 5K) of the view of the top level. In some embodiments, the views 502 of the hierarchical user interface are displayed in a simulated three-dimensional arrangement of the views of the hierarchical user interface along a simulated z-axis of the display, as described in greater detail above with reference to FIGS. 5C and 5H-5I. In some of these embodiments, ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes shifting a simulated viewpoint of the simulated three-dimensional arrangement in a predefined direction (e.g., downwards) so as to cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level in accordance with simulated parallax, as described in greater detail above with reference to FIGS. 5C and 5H-5I. In some of these embodiments (e.g., where views of the hierarchical user interface were displayed in a simulated three-dimensional arrangement that ceased to be displayed in accordance with simulated parallax, as illustrated in FIG. 5H-5I), redisplaying the predefined portion (e.g., 502-1-b in FIGS. 5J-5K) of the view of the of the top level includes shifting (754) the simulated viewpoint of the simulated three-dimensional arrangement in a direction that is substantially opposite to the predefined direction (e.g., upwards) so as to display the predefined portion of the view (e.g., 502-1-b in FIGS. 5J-5K) of the top level via the simulated parallax (e.g., shifting the simulated viewpoint 604 from looking straight along/into the simulated z-axis to looking “down” on the simulated z-axis from 604-c to 604-d in FIGS. 6C-6D).

FIGS. 6C and 6D illustrate simulated “side-views” of FIGS. 5I and 5K, respectively. In this simulated “side-view,” the views of the hierarchical user interface (e.g., the view 502-1 of the top level, the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, and optionally, a view 502-n of an intermediate lower level) are located at different points along the simulated z-axis 602. FIG. 6C illustrates the location of the simulated viewpoint with respect to the location of the views 502 along the simulated z-axis in FIG. 5I. In this configuration, the view 502-1 of the top level and the view 502-2 of the respective lower level are both within the field of view of the simulated viewpoint 604-b, and the view 502-1 of the top level is completely obscured by the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, because the simulated viewpoint 604-c is along the simulated z-axis. However, in FIG. 6D, when the viewpoint is shifted upwards (e.g., from 604-c to 604-d) relative to the location of the views 502 along the simulated z-axis, the view 502-1 of the top level is only partially obscured by the view 502-2 of the respective lower level, as illustrated in the “front-view” shown in FIG. 5K, and thus the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level is displayed in this “front-view.”

In some embodiments, operations 758-764 are performed (756) after leaving the content modification mode (e.g., as described in greater detail above with reference to FIGS. 5I-5K). In some embodiments, the device detects (758) a fourth input (e.g., tap gesture 520 in FIG. 5K) that corresponds to a selection of the predefined portion (e.g., 502-1-b in FIG. 5K) of the view of the top level. In some of these embodiments, operations 762-764 are performed (760) in response to detecting the fourth input. In some of these embodiments, the device ceases (762) to display the view (e.g., 502-2-a in FIG. 5K) of the respective lower level, and redisplays (764) the view (e.g., 502-1-a in FIG. 5A) of the top level. For example, from FIG. 5K, in response to detecting the tap gesture 502 on the predefined portion 502-1-b of the view of the top level, the device returns to the state displayed in FIG. 5A, where the view 502-1-a of the top level of the user interface is displayed without displaying the view of the lower level of the user interface.

The operations in the information processing methods described above may be implemented by running one or more functional modules in information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips. These modules, combinations of these modules, and/or their combination with general hardware (e.g., as described above with respect to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 3) are all included within the scope of protection of the invention.

The operations described above with reference to FIGS. 7A-7E may be implemented by components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1C. For example, detection operation 704, display operation 706, and detection operation 722 may be implemented by event sorter 170, event recognizer 180, and event handler 190. Event monitor 171 in event sorter 170 detects a contact on touch-sensitive display 112, and event dispatcher module 174 delivers the event information to application 136-1. A respective event recognizer 180 of application 136-1 compares the event information to respective event definitions 186, and determines whether a first contact at a first location on the touch-sensitive surface corresponds to a predefined event or sub-event, such as selection of an object on a user interface. When a respective predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer 180 activates an event handler 190 associated with the detection of the event or sub-event. Event handler 190 may utilize or call data updater 176 or object updater 177 to update the application internal state 192. In some embodiments, event handler 190 accesses a respective GUI updater 178 to update what is displayed by the application. Similarly, it would be clear to a person having ordinary skill in the art how other processes can be implemented based on the components depicted in FIGS. 1A-1C.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

1. A multifunction device, comprising: a display; one or more processors; memory; and one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for: displaying a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display, the hierarchical user interface having a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels; detecting a first input; in response to detecting the first input, displaying a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level; while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detecting a second input; and when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: entering the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 2. The device of claim 1, including instructions for, when the second input corresponds to a selection of the predefined portion of the view of the top level: ceasing to display view of the respective lower level and redisplaying the view of the top level.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein displaying the view of at least one of the lower levels includes: displaying an animation of the view of the top level moving backwards into the display; and displaying the view of at least one of the lower levels in front of the view of the top level so as to partially cover the view of the top level while still displaying an edge of the view of the top level.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the edge of the view of the top level is displayed in accordance with: a simulated three-dimensional arrangement of the views of the hierarchical user interface along a simulated z-axis of the display; and a simulated viewpoint from which the simulated three-dimensional arrangement is viewed.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes shifting the simulated viewpoint in a predefined direction so as to cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level in accordance with simulated parallax.
 6. The device of claim 1, including instructions for, after detecting the first input and while displaying at least a portion of the view of the top level: detecting one or more intermediate inputs; and in response to detecting the one or more intermediate inputs, navigating through a plurality of intermediate lower levels to reach the respective lower level.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein navigating through the plurality of intermediate lower levels includes displaying animated transitions between subsequent intermediate levels while maintaining display of the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 8. The device of claim 6, including instructions for, after navigating through the plurality of intermediate lower levels, displaying a predefined portion of a view of one or more of the intermediate lower levels in addition to displaying the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein entering the content modification mode includes displaying a content modification interface.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes concurrently: displaying an animation of the view of the respective lower level moving in a predefined direction on the display so as to cover the predefined portion of the view of the top level; and displaying an animation of the content modification interface moving into a region of the display that was previously occupied by the view of the respective lower level.
 11. The device of claim 1, including instructions for, after entering the content modification mode: detecting a third input that corresponds to a request to leave the content modification mode; and, in response to detecting the third input: leaving the content modification mode and redisplaying the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein: entering the content modification mode includes displaying a content modification interface; and leaving the content modification mode includes concurrently: displaying an animation of the content modification interface moving in a predefined direction on the display; and displaying an animation of the view of the respective lower level moving into a region of the display that was previously occupied by the content modification interface so as to reveal the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein: the views of the hierarchical user interface are displayed in a simulated three-dimensional arrangement of the views of the hierarchical user interface along a simulated z-axis of the display; ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes shifting a simulated viewpoint of the simulated three-dimensional arrangement in a predefined direction so as to cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level in accordance with simulated parallax; and redisplaying the predefined portion of the view of the top level includes shifting the simulated viewpoint of the simulated three-dimensional arrangement in a direction that is substantially opposite to the predefined direction so as to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level via the simulated parallax.
 14. The device of claim 11, including instructions for, after leaving the content modification mode: detecting a fourth input that corresponds to a selection of the predefined portion of the view of the top level; and, in response to detecting the fourth input: ceasing to display view of the respective lower level; and redisplaying the view of the top level.
 15. A method, comprising: at a multifunction device with a display: displaying a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display, the hierarchical user interface having a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels; detecting a first input; in response to detecting the first input, displaying a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level; while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detecting a second input; and when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: entering the content modification mode for the respective lower level and ceasing to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 16. The method of claim 15, including, when the second input corresponds to a selection of the predefined portion of the view of the top level: ceasing to display view of the respective lower level and redisplaying the view of the top level.
 17. The method of claim 15, including, after entering the content modification mode: detecting a third input that corresponds to a request to leave the content modification mode; and, in response to detecting the third input: leaving the content modification mode and redisplaying the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 18. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a multifunction device with a display, cause the device to: display a view of a top level of a hierarchical user interface on the display, the hierarchical user interface having a plurality of levels including the top level and one or more lower levels; detect a first input; in response to detecting the first input, display a view of at least one of the lower levels while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level; while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, detect a second input; and, when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: enter the content modification mode for the respective lower level and cease to display the predefined portion of the view of the top level.
 19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 19, including instructions which, when executed by the device cause the device to, when the second input corresponds to a selection of the predefined portion of the view of the top level: cease to display view of the respective lower level and redisplay the view of the top level.
 20. A graphical user interface on a multifunction device with a display, a memory, and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory, the graphical user interface comprising: a hierarchical user interface having a plurality of levels including a top level and one or more lower levels; wherein: a view of a top level of the hierarchical user interface is displayed; in response to detecting a first input, a view of at least one of the lower levels is displayed while concurrently displaying at least a predefined portion of the view of the top level; while displaying a view of a respective lower level and concurrently displaying at least the predefined portion of the view of the top level, a second input is detected; and when the second input corresponds to a request to enter a content modification mode for the respective lower level: the content modification mode is entered for the respective lower level and the predefined portion of the view of the top level ceases to be displayed. 